The James Beard Awards finals will once again have some Alabama flavor.

Chef Timothy Hontzas of Johnny’s Restaurant in Homewood is a finalist for Best Chef: South, while Bottega is a finalist for Outstanding Hospitality.

Pizza Grace, which was a semifinalist for Best New Restaurant, did not advance to the finals. Semifinalists were announced in January.

The James Beard Foundation today announced the finalists for its 2023 Restaurant and Chef Award nominees along with finalists for its Leadership Award, Humanitarian of the Year Award and Lifetime Achievement honorees. Winners of the prestigious culinary prizes will be announced June 5 at a ceremony at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.

For Hontzas, this year is his sixth time being named a semifinalist. And, for the second year in a row, he has made the finals. Last year the winner was chef Adam Evans of Automatic Seafood and Oysters in Birmingham.

Despite the many nominations, Hontzas said each time is notable.

“It’s a massive honor. Those nominations, they’re just really not to be taken for granted,” Hontzas said. “You see people fall off the list all the time.”

He said the recognition underscores the hard work that goes into making good food.

“Everybody’s food should be perfect or at least strive for perfection,” he said. “You’re only as good as the last plate of food you put out.”

Johnny’s Restaurant is Hontzas’ take on a meat-and-three, or what he calls a “Greek-and-three,” serving Southern favorites along with Greek classics and other twists. Johnny’s was a semifinalist last year for Outstanding Hospitality.

“I think our food is very thoughtful and I know our food has a story to tell,” he said. “There’s history in our food.”

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This is the first time Bottega has been a finalist for Outstanding Hospitality. Bottega is in the family of restaurants founded by chef Frank Stitt, whose Highlands Bar and Grill took home the award for the nation’s Outstanding Restaurant in 2018. That’s the same year its pastry chef, the now-retired Dolester Miles, won Outstanding Pastry Chef.

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Bottega features Italian-inspired dishes crafted with uniquely Southern interpretations. Bottega Café offers a more casual atmosphere, while Bottega restaurant offers more of a fine-dining experience.

Hontzas said the James Beard wins and nominations among Birmingham and Alabama restaurants in recent years speaks to the city and state’s dynamic food scene.

“It’s just boiling over, no pun intended,” Hontzas said. “There are so many great restaurants here and they continue to grow. It’s huge and I’m just so proud to be a part of Birmingham.”

Hontzas and Bottega are up against stiff competition.

For Best Chef: South, Hontzas is vying regionally against Ana Castro of Leguna Madre in New Orleans; Alex Perry and Kumi Omori of Vestige in Ocean Springs, Mississippi; Henry Moso of Kabooki Sushi in Orlando; and Natalia Vallejo of Cocina al Fondo of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

For Outstanding Hospitality, which is a national competition, Bottega is up against The Black Cypress in Pullman, Washington.; Lula Drake in Columbia, South Carolina; The Quarry in Monson, Maine; and Sepia in Chicago.

A complete list of finalists can be found here.

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Hontzas attended the awards last year as a finalist.

“It took a couple of weeks after I got home last year for it to sink in,” he said. “You hear about it and see it, but until you put a tux on, or whatever, and go to the Lyric, it doesn’t really hit you.”

Now, Hontzas is enjoying another chance and planning another trip to Chicago.

“I’m absorbing all of this right now,” he said. “I had a great time last year.”

Just like a year ago, he’s hoping a chef from Birmingham will bring home the prize.

“It’s always been a goal of mine,” he said.